Shed spaces of all sizes are popular these days. Sure, you may run into zoning laws and ordinances, but given the legalities, a well-designedshedspace could work perfectly as an affordable office, workshop, or anything else. So we were interested to learn that We Love Sheds just held an international competition to find the best International Shed of the Year 2009. Maryland-based entrant Chuck Witmer beat out roughly 186 other shed entries to take this year's prize for THE_SHED. He built it himself, and it's beautiful.

The Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL), which officially opens on July 16, 2009, is at the bleeding edge of green building. It's located on the 195-acre campus of the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, an education and retreat center. Not only is it on track to achieve LEED Platinum, it may be the first building in America to meet the requirements of the Living Building Challenge.

If you've ever wanted to live in a modern prefab and you're interested in living about thirty minutes north of Duluth, Minnesota, now might be your chance. In 2005, Alchemy Architects designed this seasonal cabin of roughly 840 square feet, and after that, it became a hit in the national media. I noticed it in Kiplinger's of all places! The McGlasson weeHouse has two bedrooms, one and three-quarters bathrooms, a roof deck, and a detached sauna.

Just a quick jaunt north of Dallas right off of Central Expressway, there's a small community called Urban Reserve. In Urban Reserve, all the homes are modern and sustainably designed — the minimum standards require Energy Star and a HERS of at least an 80. This home is just one of several architecturally unique homes in the development. Referred to as UR 45, the LEED Platinum certified home was designed by Shipley Architects for an executive of the development company, Rick Fontenot.

This is the Living Zero Home, which was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy and built by All American Homes. The home was on display in Chicago last weekend and will move to about fifteen other destinations throughout the year, including Louisville, Greensboro, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Dallas, Phoenix, and Denver, among other cities. The modern demonstration home features a Smart Living System — both an energy management and home monitoring tool — which helps owners save money and provides an alert for potential problems, such as a water pipe leak. The home includes a number of other green elements, too:

One of Hybrid Architecture + Assembly's most recent projects, Remington Court, is quite stunning. Opting to do everything from start to finish, the company designed, developed, and built the four-unit project — a successful endeavor considering three of the four units sold prior to completion! The interiors are modern and minimalist, relying on products such as HenryBuilt cabinets, Corian counters, Starck-designed Duravit toilets, and some of the following green features and elements: